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Melbourne has six new art trams hitting the streets and every single one of them features works by First Peoples artists. The new fleet of art trams was commissioned as part of Rising festival, in partnership with Public Transport Victoria, Yarra Trams and Creative Victoria.
The half-dozen moving artworks, aptly titled Blak on Track have been curated by multidisciplinary artist and Boonwurrung-Wemba Wemba woman Jarra Karalinar, with the mission of showcasing how the breadth and dynamism of First Peoples expression enriches our city.
The first tram to roll out features work from the late trailblazing First Nations icon Dr Destiny Deacon (Ku Ku/Erub Mer), who passed away in May this year. Dr Deacon is credited with coining the term ‘Blak’, which is now a powerful symbol of First Nations resistance. The tram is wrapped in a 2009 work called ‘Arrears Windows’, which provides a glimpse into the lives, narratives and struggles faced by the residents of Melbourne’s public housing towers.
This year’s fleet of Rising art trams will run across different routes through the city and suburbs into 2025. Here are the details of the remaining five artists in the series.
Milla Morgan (Wiradjuri/Yorta Yorta)
Titled ‘I Just Wanted to Say Sorry’, Morgan’s work seeks to reframe perceptions of First Nations art.
Kait James (Wadawurrung)
Using pop culture references and Blak humour, James’ tram (called ‘Hung Out To Dry’) challenges colonial narratives.
Iluka Sax-Williams (Taungurung)
Sax-Williams’ work ‘Kulin Woora Liwik—Kulin Sky Ancestors’ celebrates the First Nations connection to ancestors through nature’s Songlines.
Thomas Day (Gunditjmara/Yorta Yorta/Wemba Wemba)
Celebrating the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds, Day’s tram is called ‘Yarkeen—Dreams’.
Ellen José (Torres Strait Islander)
‘Reach Out And Touch—Distance And Time’ is a work emphasising the impact of war on individuals and communities, through themes of yearning and regret.
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